Symbion Health

Symbion Health Limited "is a diagnostic and wellness company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX: SYB). The company's businesses are structured into five divisions: Pathology; Medical Centres; Imaging; Pharmacy Services; and Consumer." 

Previously Symbion has been known as both Mayne Nickless Limited and then as the Mayne Group (2002-2005). 

According to the watchdog website Corporate Health "Mayne Nickless became Australia's largest and most dominant market listed health care." It notes that:


 * "Mayne was founded by Mayne and Nickless as a parcels delivery firm in 1886 but Nickless soon left the business to Mayne....


 * "The company became a giant trucking and security business expanding from Australia into North America and Europe. It was one of Australia's most successful multinationals. There is now much evidence that this success may have been built on collusive practices. The information indicates that Mayne formed a cartel with two other groups and used this to fix prices and also undercut and keep competitors out. Customers were disadvantaged. The company had a series of costly and acrimonious run inns with the various regulatory bodies. Mayne executives quite clearly considered their conduct the legitimate way to do business in Australia and could not accept that they were wrong - a feature of sociopathy. They were forced to plead guilty and pay a $7.4 million fine but then loudly protested their innocence and attacked the regulator. This criminal conviction was followed by a number of other actions disclosing dishonest and unpalatable conduct in the company's businesses.


 * "Mayne Nickless had entered health care by purchasing a small hospital group in the late 1980's. It had appointed Dr. Barry Catchlove to run this division and it performed well. It expanded by buying hospitals owned by Health Care of America and then in 1995 it bought Australian Medical Enterprises when the US company Tenet/NME abandoned its Australian venture. The health care sector was profitable."

Peter J. Smedley was brought in as Managing Director between 2000 and 2001.


 * Robert Dalziel - Former Managing Director

Directors
Accessed March 2008:


 * Paul McClintock
 * Robert Cooke
 * Ian Blackburne
 * Jim Hall

Former Director

 * Carolyn Kay

Contact

 * Level 7, 5 Queens Road, Melbourne, VIC, Australian 3004
 * Website: http://www.symbionhealth.com/

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Mark R. Rayner